Method of and tool for packing condenser tubes or the like



H. A. STAPLES 7 METHOD OF AND TCOL FOR PACKING coupnnssn TUBES on THE LIKE Fi'ied March 14, 1927 FIG 1 HORACE H STAPLES INVENTOR 14/5 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. I 1928 WARE.

TRIO rnonucrsiconrommon; or NEW YORK, Y. ,.-A CORPORATION 01mm.-

uETHon cram) r001. Eon PACKING CONDENSER urns-on THE Lin.

' Application filed March 14, 1927. Serial No. 175,355.

My invention relates to .a methodof packing the tubes contained in acondenser and has for its object to provide a method that will '1 permit the tighteningof-the packing gland without any crimping or deformation of the tube.

A further object is to-provide a simple and convenient tool that will permit the practicing of my method by inexperienced or careless workmen withoutdamage to the tube.

In ,the packing of-a condenser tube it is customary to use a screw ferrule at least on one end of the tube to allow for contraction andfor expansion or the tube. Frequently in screwing'inofthisiferrule into thetubesheet the workman will crimp the tube or cause it to collapse, forming an annularv ring which acts against the tube from. freely expanding and/orcontracting and resultsin leaky tubes.

This is especially true with tubes of the 5 lighter gauges, such as wall thickness 015,049

or less but is alsoftrue to'a certain degree in heavy wall hard drawn tubes. Thiscrimpmg of thetube is frequently caused by the specifications demanding that the ferrules shall not protrude beyond the tube sheet'b-y some specified amount, so that anyvariation in the hardness o f the packingwill result in that thosetubes'which are packed with hard or Linvention'will now be described in connection I 3 oversized packing will crimp or, deform to provide room for the excessive packing which is used." This fact oanses,'besides leaky tubes,

arestricted orifice which tends to cause corrosion of the tube-back of the crimp'ed'por- ,tion.

The foregoing and other featuresfof'my with the accompanying I drawing forming part of this specification in which I have illustrated a form of tool which Imay employ in the carrying out of my method, afterwhich I shall point out inthe claims those features which I'believe to be new and of my own invention. I In'thedrawingsz 1 3 Figure 1 illustrates a side view of my tool,

' the upper half being in section, inserted in a tube sheet in part section. w

Figure 2 is an end view of my tool' looking from the right hand end of Figure 7 Figure 3 is a section along the line indi cated as 3-3,.Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side view of my tool show ngv provided with rule of the packing gland.

In Figure '1, I illustr te a tube sheet 10 pa rt section showing two tubes 11 and 12. The tube 11 illustratesa conventional tube packed by screwing the ferrule 13 in hard against the b I Lacking l l whichcrimps or de forms the tu e contracting "the end forming HORACE A. summer PLAIN-FIELD, NEWJERSEY; Assie-n'on TO NATIONAL Ema aVenturi orifice 1 5, which is so undesirable f in condenser practice. This causes excessive and rapid corrosion at 16. iMy method is shown tube '12 in the tube sheet;

For the purpose of; carrying, out in vention'I provide atool which is a combinat1on expand ng mandrel or: arbor {Qand wrench 6L0v coaxial ly-arranged andadapted to be freely moved on one another, and to be locked against such movement during the eX- p'anding and/or contracting of theexp-andorzinsertingfin, the tube.

I My e pa-nding arbor or mandrel may be any desirable type but for thejpurposeof ilbeing put in practice "in tightening [a 70 mg arbor or mandrel for withdrawing'from lustrat-ion I provide a spindle'21fprovided" witharcam shapedend 22 and a screw threads ed end 23. An expandable arbor 24 is mounted on the cam 22 andadapted to beradially I expanded thereby. -A- sleeve 25 slides over the spindle 21 and has mounted on its end a collar 26 provided with means 27 for engaging the wrenchto'keepthe partsfrom turning when so desired; On the outerfaoe of the collar 26 I provide teeth or cam-faces 28 WhlCh engage or co-alct'with the teeth or cam 29 on the threaded nut 80. This nut Z30 is v handles 3l for convenience of operation.

18.0fthe type of ferrule shown. It will be r c "05 For tightening the ferru-les I provide a wrench40 which may beprovided with-any [shape of head I'have illustrateda wrench with two-'bosses48adaptedto fit in-the slots} 1 readily. understood-that if the ferrule had some other shaped head, the head'of my i wrench. wouldof necessity be madeto fit that" I type'head, and I may even providea headlon my tool that is. adapted to grip andsecurely hold a smooth, ferrule. -My wrench 401s adapted to freely slide on and revolve about the sleeve 25 of my arbor member and on the end opposite the ead 41 I provide handles 42. I have shown four tapered holes 43 in my wrench in which the two handles are turned, but it will be readily understood that other types of handles maybe used, and I may even employ any well known ratchet construction .without departing from the invention.

In the tool on the handle end I provide a means 45. which co-operates with the means 27 on the arbor member to lock the wrench and arbor from relatively turning,

a The parts are then in the locked position as shown in Figure 4. This makes ltpossible to turn the nut 31 which is held on the screw threaded portion of spindle 21 .by the lock nuts 39 so that the teeth or'cams 29 coacting withthecams 28 pulls the cam or wedge 22 into the arbor head 24 thereby expending it to its desired size. This head 24 is shown in its expanded position in Figure 4.

The operation is as follows: The tube 12 is inserted in the tube sheet, the packinglet inserted around the tube and the ferrule 13 screwed loosely into the screw threaded portion of the tube sheet. My tool is then inserted so that the arbor is within the tube at the point of packing, all as shown in Figure 1. The wrench portion 40 is then withdrawn to position on the sleeve 25 as shown in Figure 4. This looks the arbor member and the wrench member together. The nut 30 is then turned expanding the arbor until it tightly U fits in the tube 12. This action will true any condenser tube that may be slightly out of round and therebywill materially aid'in pro viding longer life for the tube. The wrench is then slidforward into engagement with the ferrule which unlocks the wrench from 1 the arbor and permits are revolve thereon and the ferrule is tightened in place. The supporting of the tube in this manner against collapse, crimp and/or otherwise deformation makesvit quiteimpqssible to have defece tive tubes due to careless or inexperienced workmen.

I wish it distinctly understood that my method of and tool fOl'illhB packing .of condenser tubes or the like herein described and illustrated is in the form in which I desire to practice the methodand construct the tool and that changes or variations may be made as may be convenient or desirable without departing from the salient features of my invention and I therefore intend the following claimsto cover such modifications as naturally fall within the lines of invention.

.Iclaim:

1. A method of packing a tube in a tube sheet having a packing gland with a screw threaded ferrule, which comprises rigidly supporting the tube against deformation at the packing during the tightening of the ferrule. I V

2. A tool of the class described in combination, an expanding mandrel with means to expand the mandrel, an independent wrench co-axial therewith and adapted to revolve aind slide thereon without operating the manrel.

3. A tool of the class described in combinatioman expanding mandrel, a wrench coaxialtherewith and adaptedto revolve and slide thereon, means to lock the two from turning and means to expand the mandrel when the two'ar'e inlocked position. 4. A tool of the class described in combination, an expanding mandrel, with operating means therefor, an independent wrench co In testimony whereof I aflixsignature.

[nonaon A. STAPLES, 

